..onward and upward....

Here's a funny... I got this picture of the cabin, and when I initially saw it, I thought to myself that this was a really pretty house, and a pretty picture... and then, I realized, it was OUR cabin... such a nice surprise.  

We, rather, Jim and Howard are still working on the deck, and this is the concrete that is now in the conex waiting for it to be mixed and poured into the holes.

 

Howard just keeps digging holes for the footings.  It will be cool to see the forms set in and concrete poured... I think the holes look like... graves...

We shoot level lines out from the cabin to make sure the deck winds up in the right place.  I'm glad Howard knows what he's doing.

The backhoe started leaking so we temporarily stopped digging.

And, here's a couple more graves....

There's going to be a lot of concrete in there!

And here we have a form and road base placed in the hole.  This is in there to assist in the levelling of the hole as well as draining moisture away under the concrete apparently.  We got a tamper to compact the road base in the hole.  We are learning a lot.

I'm excited for the deck to be completed..

And, here's another little bit of excitement... I was looking for the stone mason for about six months - all I knew was his first name, his wife's first name, and the city he lived in - no last name, no address, no phone number.  Well, I found him!! I found a phone number, and I texted the number and he responded!  I was stoked.  I don't know if he will do our job, but all the time I have spent trying to find him has paid off.  Jim thinks I should be a private eye or something along those lines... giggle...  I was just a really determined person.

In last week's post, I mentioned that Jim was also building the island in the kitchen.  Well, he put all the cabinets together this past weekend, and it's beautiful.. We had purchased one panel of maple butcher block for the top, just to see how we like it, and we love it!  So, I ordered the 2nd piece and I got an email today saying that the 2nd piece has come in and we can pick it up.  So, that's on the agenda for this week.  And, I had this idea that I wanted some of the tin that we are going to use as back splash put somewhere on the island, just to tie the whole room together, and this is what Jim came up with.  I really love it.  We are going to put just regular oak wood under the metal pieces, to protect them from feet and knees hitting them all the time.  I really like the look and we'll put some trim around the tin to finish off the look.

Jim is planning a 16 inch overhang so we can set a couple of bar stools on the end for breakfast seating.

This past week, we had a little problem with the backhoe - was leaking hydraulic fluid like crazy.  Jim thought that it was probably one of the seals that needed to be rebuilt, so he started to tear the backhoe apart.  Once he got into it, he found that it wasn't a seal, but it was a hose!  After a trip to Panguitch for a new hose we discovered that we didn't have the right tools to tighten the fittings on the hose.  So backhoe work is temporarily on hold till be get crowfoot wrenches?  What crows have to do with it, I don't know.  Um... I don't know much about backhoes, but I do know stuff leaking out is bad and this looks bad.

He tried to repair it, but didn't have the right tools, so, we had to order the tools from Amazon in order for Jim to tighten everything up this coming weekend.  See the new hose, the clean looking one in there? 

One of the problems we have in the cabin right now is the floor... it is just particle board on the floor and when you walk on it over time, little bits and pieces stick to your shoes or slippers or socks and it is the worst.  So, Jim found a glue type stuff and he started painting the floor with it.  Hopefully, this will keep the little wooden bits off of the bottom of my socks and in my bed!

This is the area from the French doors going into the living room...

And, here's the floors in the kitchen all glued down...I think this is really going to help.

This is the 2nd oven in the kitchen.  Jim thought it would be a great idea to put a cabinet under it for utensils and pot holders and the such.  I thought it was a great idea also.

I saw this wall covering idea in a restaurant in Provo (Cubby's) and I really liked the look.. This is made with just pallets that have been pulled apart and stained.  

I thought I would like the idea in the basement bathroom, but now I am thinking about half walls in the basement bedroom.  So, on Sunday, I took a drive over to Home Depot and picked up some stain.  There is tons of colours of stain, so I picked out the ones I really liked and bought the small little containers... and, made my samples.  With so many to choose from, it was a little difficult to whittle it down to 8 I really liked.  But, I think I am going to go with these 8, or maybe get rid of the 2nd colour from the right.  I am not sure about that one.  Once I put the stain on a stir stick, and let it dry, I'm questioning this choice.  I have a little bit of time to play with, so, this one is still up for discussion.  Jim likes my idea, and  didn't flat out tell me "NO" so I am assured this isn't a crazy idea.

And, I found a rooster for the bedroom that I really, really liked.... With all the glass work that I do, I thought this rooster was more to my liking.  He's made of blown glass, and the colours are so vibrant and beautiful, I couldn't resist.  I was really thinking that Jim was going to give me the Jim look - you know the look... like his eyes are saying, "Really?"  But, when I showed him, he really thought this piece was beautiful.

And, this is the piece that  Coy calls, "Creepy Bunny".  He's been sitting in my house for a year or so now.  Jim had some room in the truck, so I sent bunny to the cabin.  I am not sure where he is going to go, but I really liked Creepy Bunny.  Jim says that this rabbit looks like he's from Alice in Wonderland, and is about to talk to you.  He probably has a lot to say, but as of yet, he's been silent and patiently waiting...

So, from Creepy Bunny and glass Rooster, the adventure continues.

Love, Jim and Cheri